Goblin

Goblins are small humanoid monsters. They vary in height from about 3 to 3 ½ feet and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. They walk upright even though their arms nearly reach their knees. Their eyes vary from red to yellow and are usually dull and glazed. They have a broad nose that sits on a flat face with pointed ears and a wide mouth. Their mouth contains small, but sharp fangs. Their skin pigment ranges from a deep red though nearly any shade of orange to yellow. Members of the same tribe tend to have the same skin color. Based on their ability scores the average goblin would be able to lift about 60 pounds over his head.

Goblins are small humanoids that many consider little more then a nuisance. However, if they are unchecked, their great numbers, rapid reproduction, and evil disposition enable them to overrun and despoil civilized areas.

Goblins speak Goblin; those with Intelligence scores of 12 or higher also speak Common.
Most goblins encountered outside their homes are warriors.

Contents

Goblins usually live in tribes which are ruled by the strongest goblin in the group. These tribes vary in size from gangs of 4-9 to tribes of up to 400. Most larger tribes have wolves or dire wolves as mounts, or ally themselves with worgs, which also carry them into battle. Goblin tribes usually settle near civilized areas to raid for food, livestock, tools, weapons, and supplies. Some goblin clans will come under the control of stronger goblinoids or other creatures, who will use the goblins for their own purposes.

Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures has taught goblins to exploit what few advantages they have: sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. The concept of a fair fight is meaningless in their society. They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edge they can devise.
Goblins have a poor grasp of strategy and are cowardly by nature, tending to flee the field if a battle turns against them. With proper supervision, though, they can implement reasonably complex plans, and in such circumstances their numbers can be a deadly advantage.
The chief goblin deity is Maglubiyet, who urges his worshipers to expand their numbers and overwhelm their competitors. (Domains: Chaos, Evil, Trickery.)
Goblin cavalry is mounted on worgs or spiders. Most goblin spellcasters are adepts. Goblin adepts favor spells that fool or confuse enemies.

In most campaign settings, Maglubiyet, the god of war and rulership, is the chief deity of goblins. Other gods worshipped by the goblins include Khurgorbaeyag, the god of slavery, oppression, and morale, and Bargrivyek, the god of co-operation and territory.

You start your carrier as a goblin adventurer next to the big mushroom in the inner cavern of the goblin caves, located inside Urblexis Grond. How you got there is you to decide, but be sure: You are not standing here alone.

Although there is only one NPC (the old shaman Garbagoth) in this cave system, it is roleplayed as inhabited by 300-400 goblins. And for that it is very likely, that you are born in this cave. With reaching the age of 8-10 years you are ready to glance (or be kicked) outside – alone.

“It smells terrible!” – for every non-goblin. Goblins like their cave: the more or less tasty water puddles, the broken furniture, the trash, the dirt, the vases full of bones and rotting meat, pee and poo here and there, the sweet smell, the noise, the chaos, the close contact to other goblins… home.

Paintings in tar or blood and carvings on the walls, on big stone vases and columns and the uncountable skulls in the cave tell about its history, about culture and every day life, about great exploits and scary stories (e.g. about drow and daemons or daemon-drows) or just that goblin X does not want to share female Y any longer. (These paintings and carvings have a very important function to keep or even increase the cultural knowledge of the tribe – considered the high breeding and also relatively high death rate of goblins.)

Being a well designed goblin cave – which indicates that it is inhabited by a powerful and big tribe – the goblin cave has one main entrance and two lower side openings, as possible escape routes. (Goblins never feel comfortable if there is no backdoor.)

There is one main cave and four lockable side caves. The main cave is divided into two sections. While most of the social life takes part in the front section (eating, sleeping, cooking, playing, fighting, dancing, working…) the backside of the main cave (which is half-filled with water) is a bit more quiet. That’s the place where the old shaman Garbagoth does his alchemistic experiments, where young goblins were taught about rules and religion and where a big blood-sprinkled altar can be found to pray and celebrate clerical and holy rituals.

At the moment the four side caves are in the firm grip of the (player-created) Oogooboogoo Clan. One is used as a separate sleeping, playing and breeding room, the second is a well equipped working room and the third is used for meetings to plan raids and shout or whisper (discuss) about problems. All three rooms are also used as different kinds of storage rooms. And the fourth? No normal goblin knows what is inside. Maybe the clans fastest breeding females?

Oboo grew up in a small nomadic goblin tribe with some friends of the same age. He spent most time with Brool, who was always studying new wazaam tricks. Oboo didn't study though, he trained armed combat with the elders of the small tribe and started praying to the great goblin god Oogooboogoo after the tribe shaman told young Oboo he was Oogooboogoo's chosen one. Around that time the tribe encountered a kivvil hunting party which slaughtered almost the entire tribe. Only the youngsters Oboo, Brool and Zool were able to escape. They ran through lots of unknown tunnels barely surviving the trip until they reached a settlement named Grond. Here they settled as a small tribe with Oboo being the chieftain and shaman. They encountered other goblins who already lived in Grond like Godo and they learned from them the tricks of survival.

In the beginning they made a camp near the old shaman Garbagoth who lived in a big cave, accepting the young goblins in his territory. They learned a lot from old Garbagoth and Oboo was granted more and more favors when he prayed to Oogooboogoo. In a dangerous place like Grond many don't return home alive and when Oboo noticed one of the smaller caves near Garbagoths abandoned, he claimed it as his own, allowing all tribe members inside for a safe sleeping area and to store wealth and gear. Basically this was clan Oogooboogoo's first own cave. The cave was located next to the one Godo occupied and when the other 2 smaller caves were abandoned one by one, the last one by the leader of Grond at the time Chaox, Oboo and Godo made sure that other goblins were there in time to claim the other caves. At that time Oboo's tribe started growing more and more.

Although all smaller caves were now occupied by goblins, 3 by clan Oogooboogoo goblins and 1 by Godo, and most of them shared the caves with other goblins, each had his own sleeping place, his own workstations and so on. One cycle Godo suggested to Oboo that he would offer his cave to be shared by clan Oogooboogoo as well so the tribe could use the caves even better. One (Godo's) became the workcave, another (Oboo's) became the warcave, the third (Brool's) became the highly secured cave where only clan leaders have access to, and the forth (Fuggit's) became the sleeping cave. At that time all clan goblins were given keys to 3 of the 4 caves and the tribe prospered and grew stronger and bigger then ever.

It still was a part of Grond though and particularly the Order of the Black Depth, leaded by the kobold Iejir, Oboo's nemesis, and the goblin tribe were known to have lots of fights and conflicts. Since that Iejir and his order were given a lot of power as militia of Grond during Chaox reign, the goblins became more and more aggressive refusing to accept them as the ones they should listen to. Several bloody battles were fought and they never supported the other when asked by Chaox to put down their differences and unite for Grond. This resulted in a very unstable Grond and the goblin caves (by then only goblins were living there) were attacked by the Grond militia every now and then, and in turn Grond citizens were robbed or murdered by the Goblins out for revenge. The Grond leader Chaox never managed to find a solution for this problem.

Then Chaox resigned and the Svirfneblin necromaster Skeflock became the leader of Grond. He claimed the title Tyrant and made some quick decisions regarding the Goblins and Kobolds. The Goblins were granted their own caves to rule. No rules of Grond would apply there. The Goblins could make their own and would no longer be bothered by Grond or it's Militia. In return the Goblins would no longer intervene with Grond rules and accept them while dwelling there. From that point on the goblins were finally liberated from Grond's interferance and Oboo was put forward by Godo to not only rule his own tribe, but the entire goblin population inside the caves, Oboo finally accepted this honor and Godo left to live with the Drow himself.

When the rumor about a strong goblin tribe living in a secured cave system grew, more and more goblins started to find their way towards it, making the population grow to what the goblins caves are today. A cave system where hundreds of goblins have made their home.

Although having achieved independence from Grond, the goblin tribe is far too small to represent a real “third Power” next to Udos and Grond.

Being located inside the big Grond cavern and having no shops and only Garbagoth selling and buying some goods and for historical reasons, the goblin tribe is still strongly tied to Grond. But Grond is far more than a big marked place in front of the cave entrance. Alone for its geographical position and for their history the goblins are traditional loyal to Grond. Some goblins even call Grond the first defence line of their caves.

But the independence gives them the possibility to deal with political issues in their own “goblin” ways. The main rule – to survive – counts here too. That means: spy, manipulate, assassinate, fight, make war but make sure you are (on the side of) the winner or get away with as much as possible. But this doesn’t mean simple opportunism and just changing sides frequently. In general goblin leaders look at political issues from a very “conservative” point of view: No risk! No open confrontation that could really threaten the existence of the tribe. For that (once achieving a good living standard) they try to defend the status quo.

But this is only the “official” side of the story. With about 150-200 trained goblins at arms and about two dozen elite warriors the goblin tribe is no very big but a stable (even growing) military power in the Underdark. But what makes the goblins desired allies is not only their euphoria and loyalty in combats (as long as they go well) and their know-how in dirty warfare, the goblin tribe is also highly valued for its spies and their ability to get and spread secret information or “solve problems”. For that the goblin tribe always tries to have close connections to every (new and old) power in the Underdark – especially to the Tyrant of Urblexis Grond and to one ore more drow houses of Udos Dro'Xun.

Goblins – as all non-drow races – fear the power and influence of the drow of Udos. They fear to lose their caves, treasures, females and young ones, their independence to the greed of drow. On the other side some goblins call Udos the second defence line of their caves. Because there is something they hate more than drow: all kinds of surface races – most of all humans and elves. Because they represent the strongest (to most goblins unknown) power that threatens all their values of goblins life and for that their whole existence.

The goblin caves are “ruled” by the (player-created) Oogooboogoo Clan, which derived its name from the (also player-created) goblin god Oogooboogoo (see below). “Ruled” means, that there is a chief of the tribe (Oboo) which makes all (but normally rare) and unquestionable decisions and which surrounds the strongest goblin warriors of the breed around him and his “clan commanders” (Smug, Frubbo, old Brool and Merago) and grants them the status of “clan members” by giving them “medals”. These special members of the tribe are supposed to organize and defend the caves, to arrange raid parties, to collect information, to watch the clan grows in number, wealth and power.

The clan just organizes, defends and represents the caves and the goblins inside. There are many goblins (most of the imagined and real NPCs of cause) that are no “clan members”.

New goblin players don’t need to join this player-created clan, but it can help you a lot and can give you much fun and rp-opportunities.

A goblin player's statement about the Oogooboogoo Clan:

"I always thought that goblins be threat for themselves, killing each other for any reason they find fit enough. That there was no organisation among their tribe whatsoever except for the strongest to tell the other what to do. That there hierarchy only stands on fear of being crushed if not obey.

Here comes the Ooboogooboo Clan, whom had to find a way to survive the Underdark. One goblin alone is nothing. The only way to oppose a threat to drow is to regroup and stay thigh. One goblin wandering in the dangerous depth of Underdark is quite improbable and if he does explore UD his chance of returning alive are really low. But let say, he walks alone but he has the power of a swarm of goblins behind him. Let say, other civilised races know that this goblin is a part of something greater, that others, more vicious and more powerful races, see him not as an individual but through him, they see a tribe. That’s the only way to survive.

That’s why Ooboogooboo Clan helps their new goblin. Provide them gears, money, useful tips and help in anyway they can. Because if the tribe grows stronger, the individual grows stronger as well.

With this way of thinking, Goblins might survive the UD and with it’s exponential growth, the tribe might become a threat… something that you respect in fear of being crushed.

Oogooboogooz wayz of war: Goboz fight smart, no stupidz! Only attackz weakz! Opponentz may bez stronger, yuz runz! Try to bez more than otherz: attack wild from all sidez and crush! If alone: sneak and poke in back or uze trapz!

“Goboz rule thiz cave. Noz other law here! If yuz seez noz-goboz in cave: threat them outz! If noz goez: kill itz!
But goboz noz bringx clan in troublez! Wez noz kill in Grondz, cauze Grondz important for clanz safety and security of cavez and for buzinezz. Wez noz get in troublez with drowz of Udoz and bowz to femalez, cauze drowz defend uz landz from greatest threat from above! Noz kill at Jharedz, cauze itz for trade.

Wez noz bez friendz to kivvilz, cauze kivvilz are noz to trust, they promize much and at end wantz tell uz whatz to doez and whatz noz!”

There also is a stone vase with several paintings of Oogooboogoo Clan symbols: Big Os drawn with human and elven teeth, often a mace or a dagger is situated in the middle. Followed by the same Os made up by groups of goblins surrounding different foes.

The main goal of a goblin is to survive. (Certainly followed by other very important goals like to grow rich and powerful and to be a clan leader some day to get the fastest breeding females…)

All you do to survive (and gaining as much profit meanwhile) is “SMART”!
Being “smart” is highly valued, maybe like being “proud” for an orog e.g.
To run from battle at the slightest chance that it could be lost: is smart. To lie, to hide, to play tricks – to be a coward – and most of all to obey to stronger ones: is smart.

That does not mean that a goblin accepts everything that is done with him. But he REALLY would feel no big grief in situations, where someone forces him to do something he doesn’t like. Maybe he would even smile, because he loves to think about all the nice ways how he can pay all back. Because he is smart.

Evil tricks are smart. Kill a sleeping human child and get away save is smart (because if it grows it could represent real danger).

All his life worked like this. He was educated like this. He is regarded like this. (Even the best breeding females prefer the “smart” cowards much more than the fast dieing stupid (brave) goblins.)

Most goblins would do very much, that would hurt a humans ego hard, just for some coins, because their self-esteem is not build upon the same concept of pride. Why not obey, if it does not physically hurt (much) and you can gain something material?

The unbalanced power and status between drow and all other “lesser races” demands good RP from both sides (drow and goblin).
(As said above: supported by their education, culture, religion and individual values goblins should have no problem to find their own ways and gain in this setting – so shouldn’t have you OOC (as the player of the goblin).)

Some more rp-tips about goblin-drow interaction ("bowing") granted by Dunshine, the player of Oboo the goblin clan chief:

“I … play my goblins according to that idea. Oboo still bows to every drow he meets regardless of level, male or female. In his younger years he would tremble with fear, but that's about the only thing he learned to control over the years. He hates the drow, but fears them more. So my tip for rp-ing goblins would be to rp out the fear you have for the scary drow. It can be highly enjoyable too.

You can do it in different ways of course:

(a goblin that fears them and wants nothing else then to get away)

*spots the drow and quickly bows almost tumbling over in the process, avoids her gaze and looks at his feet trembling slightly*

(a goblin bully, without brains, but his instinct tells him he should be very careful)

*spots the drow and looks at her with a dumb look on his face for a while, then all of a sudden does a clumsy bow* Uhm, helloz!

(a more cunning goblin that is excited to meet a real drow, which he knows can kill him on a whim)

*spots the drow and bows fluently, grinning wide at her* Mez greetz the great drow mistrez!

(a slave)

*spots the drow and bows to her deeply glancing at the whip nervously* Mez greetz the big mistrez! *remains bend over*

You *could* chose to play a goblin that doesn't fear the drow and will never bow to them, but it will make your life very very hard and as explained by Kriket, is very against your races nature. If you still decide to do this, be ready to accept all ic consequences of this: Lots of whippings, torturing, and also punishing by your own race for causing troubles etc. This is something you should be aware of and accept as well. If you can't handle those things, then it's really not a good idea to play a char like that.

Of course every goblin hates the drow a great deal, but most of them are devious and smart enough to not show it in their faces, but in a more backstabbing kind of way. If a drow really pushes a goblin, that goblin won't forget and all kinds of accidents might happen to such a drow in the near feature.”